Spider-Man: The Old Man's Battle
by thatispunacceptable
Summary: Part Two: When a dear friends wedding is interrupted and another is kidnapped, Peter Parker finds himself teaming up with Steve Rogers and a very unwilling Tony Stark to save the day.
1. Chapter 1

It was absolutely beautiful, the sun was shining, the birds singing, and each and every guest at this wedding had a wide, genuine smile on their face. Peter looked around the large, white, pavilion, he could see only a few faces he recognised, some were former avengers, and others, some of Mr. Starks business associates. Each person had dressed for the occasion, black suits with bright pops of colour on the shirts of ties, beautiful dresses in sweet pastels. Peter looked around, taking it all in. He could almost tangibly feel the joy in the air! His eyes landed on the bride and groom; Tony Stark and Pepper Potts-Stark. His heart bubbled with happiness as he watched them speaking quietly with each other as they danced together with their other guests, they moved slowly together, obviously lost in the moment, the other guests around them dancing joyously, the lively music allowing them to do so. He caught Mr. Starks eye, and sent him a large grin, he received in return, a rare, genuine smile from his mentor. He couldn't help but notice the way their eyes shined when they looked at each other. Standing, Peter went over to the bar and ordered a soft drink for himself, not noticing that the song had ended until he felt a hand land on his shoulder.

"Thanks for coming, kid." Mr. Stark greeted him, an unabashed grin on his face as he pulled Peter in for a hug.

Peter quickly hid his surprise at Mr. Starks actions and returned the hug tightly, letting go once he felt Mr. Stark pat his back. He looked up at the older man.

"Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Stark. I wouldn't have missed this for anything."

Mr. Stark grinned at him, but then allowed his face to fall into a playful frown and looked pointedly at the empty space next to Peter.

"No date?"

Peter shook his head.

"No, Aunt May got called into work."

"Sorry to hear that, Pete."

Peter quickly held up his hands to cut off Mr. Stark.

"No, no, no! Don't be sorry. This is your day! You, uh, you know, you should just worry about you and Ms. Potts enjoying it."

"That's Mrs. Potts-Stark thank you!" Mr. Stark interjected, his large grin coming back to his face.

Peter couldn't help but join him. It was so nice to see Mr. Stark like this, he looked younger and much more refreshed than he had in all the time that Peter had known him.

"What about that other girl? MK?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Peter felt himself go a little red and ducked his head slightly.

"Oh, I, uh, you know. Didn't ask her." He said quietly.

"Why not, Kid?" Mr. Stark asked.

"Well, you know, what if she thought it was like a, you know, date date?" He responded, looking up slightly at his mentor once again.

Mr. Stark tilted his head slightly, his smile still present both on his mouth and in his eyes.

"I mean, you do like her, right?" He asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, maybe, you know. It's cool." He said quickly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Mr. Stark let out a small chuckle, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"You'll get there one day, kid."

Peter looked at Mr. Stark for a second, once again noticing how relaxed the older man looked. Something seemed to catch Mr. Starks eye, Peter turned and saw Ms. Potts waving him over to where she stood chatting with some other guests. Peter appreciated her for a second, she looked beautiful in her light blue dress, and she held the same relaxed look on her face as Mr. Stark.

"Well, duty calls." Mr. Stark said, patting Peters shoulder slightly, but hesitating before walking off. He seemed to take a quick moment for himself before he looked at Peter, "Pete, I'm so happy you could be here. You mean so much to me and Pepper."

Mr. Stark gave him a small smile, and then walked over to meet his bride.

Peter smiled widely as he watched him go, knowing that both Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts were happy to have him there, and just genuine happiness for the couple. The feeling only lasted a moment, when he felt the hairs on his arm stand up. He looked around urgently, and locked eyes with a strange woman across the pavilion.

Steve Rogers had seen her to moment they had walked into the pavilion for the wedding reception. He had made sure to chat with the other guests and appear to be carefree, for all he knew, he was being ridiculous. But he noticed that the woman did not move, she did not interact with the others guests, she kept her eyes firmly fixed on him. She did not even acknowledge the bride and groom when they had entered the pavilion to the loud cheers of their families and friends. But, he had kept his distance, today was a special day, and, despite the wars they had fought together, Steve knew that his friendship with Tony, while deeply special for both of them, was at best, shaky. He could not risk causing a scene at this wedding, he knew that ruining Pepper's day would infuriate Tony, and any friendship or trust between them would be shattered. And so, he looked away, purposefully avoiding eye contact, engaging others in conversation, even dancing with those who asked, all the while, he could feel her stare boring into the back of his head. He looked over once again, and noticed her quickly taking a picture on an old phone, it was pointed directly at him. He could sense the fight, but he dare not approach her alone, least he fall into a trap. Looking around, he noticed young Peter Parker standing alone near the bar, having just moments ago ended his conversation with Tony. Steve plastered on a smile and walked over. When he was a few feet away, he caught the kids eye and gave him a friendly wave. Peter quickly returned this and walked to meet him.

"Peter! It's good to see you!" He said, pulling the boy into a short, warm hug.

Peter returned his hug quickly, but stepped back just as quickly, his eyes showing a small amount of his confusion.

"You too! I didn't realise you would be here!" He said, Peter seemed to realise what this may sound like and stammered to clear himself, "I, uh, I just mean because your busy! Not because of you and Mr. Starks-"

Steve felt himself chuckle at the boy's panic, and held up a hand to stop his rambling.

"It's fine, kid. I understand. Tony and I have not been on the best terms. But, you could say that his wedding is a fresh start, if you will." He explained with a warm smile.

Peter seemed to relax a little, knowing that he had not offended the man.

"Listen, Peter. I know that this is a celebration, but I can't help but feel as though someone has been watching me all evening." He said, his face beginning to convey the concern he had covered all day.

Peter nodded understandingly.

"Are you talking about the woman over there who has been staring at you since we walked in here?" He asked.

Steve raised his brows, a little taken aback.

"I, uh, kinda sensed her. Like with, you know, spidey senses." The boy mumbled.

"Well, if you sensed her then she certainly does not mean good news for us." He affirmed.

Peter looked up at him with big, wide eyes.

"Do you think she's going to attack Mr. Stark?"

Steve felt his heart tug slightly, he'd always thought that Peter and Tony's relationship was very special, despite his early misgivings about Peter fight with the avengers. It was clear they both held a special place for each other in their hearts, almost like a loving father and son.

He forced a gentle smile to calm Peter and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I think she's here for me."

Peter gave him a quizzical look.

"When Tony and Pepper walked in, she didn't even acknowledge their presence, just kept on staring. She hasn't looked away once. She even took a photo of me earlier."

"Maybe she's a fan?" Peter suggested.

"Maybe. But if so, this isn't the place for her. Let's go over and ask her, will you come with me?" He asked, hoping desperately that Peter would agree.

Peter hesitated, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, his eyes wondered over to Tony and Pepper. Tony seemed to sense the boy looking at him and gave him a smile, then, seeing Steve, gave him a small wave. Steve smiled and waved back across the room.

"I guess we should, I mean, nothing can ruin Mr. Starks day!" Peter said earnestly.

Steve smiled at the boy, and together, the two began to cross the pavilion toward to woman. She had been watching their entire conversation, and, seeing them move toward her, had turned and begun walking quickly toward the exit.

"She's running away!" Peter whispered.

Steve frowned and the two picked up their pace, following her out of the pavilion and down the pathway. The Pavilion was set up in a clearing in a forest, however, the carpark was only a short distance away, so they followed her to the carpark. They walked down the footpath and turned a sudden, sharp bend, right before coming out onto the concrete of the carpark. In unison, they stopped.

"Where'd she go?" Peter asked, slightly confused.

"You sense her?" Steve whispered back, his eyes roaming the carpark, ears straining for sounds of her.

"Yeah, a bit." Peter replied.

They walked out into the carpark in their fancy suits, slowly, tensely, ready for a fight. They walked side by side, checking between cars. Suddenly, Steve saw Peter turn and catch the woman's fist before it made contact with his face.

"What the hell, lady!" Peter exclaimed.

Steve stepped in and grabbed her wrists.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"Yeah, lady. This is a private event!" Peter pointed out, his voice slightly higher than Steve's.

The lady looked between the two of them, and snarled. Using both of their grips on her as leverage, she raised her self-up, kicking Peter in the chest, knocking him off balance, he stumbled back a little. She spun quickly to punch Steve, but he blocked her blow with his arm. Peter jumped back up, brushing off his suit as he watched Steve and the woman fight, seemingly uncertain of what to do.

Steve fought her, he was surprised by her strength, it was equal to his. As he landed a few punches on her ribs and side, she landed punches to his abdomen and face. Finally, she spun, her leg extending to swipe his feet out from under him. He landed heavily on his back, but jumped straight back up to continue. However, she had begun to sprint. He saw Peter going after he, the boy was wickedly fast and caught up to her quickly, tackling her to the ground.

"Good job, kid." He yelled out, and jogged over where he held the woman.

Peter looked up at him, and the woman, taking advantaged of his momentary distraction, pulled out a small knife and stabbed him in the thigh. Peter jumped up, releasing his grip on her for just a second. But it was all she needed. Peter grappled after her, but she was running again. Steve began to sprint after her, but before he got past Peter, the woman threw her knife, slicing past Peter's arm, leaving a small patch of blood.

Seeing him slow, Peter yelled at him.

"I'm fine, keep going!"

Steve looked at him for a second, and then looked at the woman, she was getting further away, just as he was about to take off again, a booming, angry voice came from behind them.

"What the _hell_ is going on here!"

Steve felt his insides turn slightly, and dread build in him as he and Peter turned to face a very pissed off Tony Stark.

Tony looked between the dishevelled pair, his heart pounding. He looked at Peter, who appeared to be bleeding, and then over at Steve, who seemed to have taken a few punches to the face. Hs anger burned in him, he buried it for one second though as he walked closer to the pair.

"Pete, you okay?" He asked, knowing that his voice was doing a terrible job of hiding his anger.

Peter didn't look him in the eye, but looked at the ground and nodded.

"You're bleeding. You gonna heal alright?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark" Peter mumbled, still not meeting his gaze.

He stood between the pair, his gaze shooting up to Caps, his eyes blazing.

"What the hell Rogers. Mid dance with Pep and I get an alert on my phone saying that Captain America and Peter are fighting some poor woman in the parking lot." He said, his chest heaving as he held himself back.

Steve looked away for a moment, and then glanced at him, sighing slightly.

"Look, Tony. I'm sorry. That woman meant trouble and I wanted to get her away from the party."

Tony glared at him, for one of the first times in his life, feeling so angry that words failed to form for a moment.

"My wedding day, Rogers!" He whispered angrily, getting into Steve's personal space. "The one day that is meant to be fight free!"

"M-Mr. Stark?" Peter asked cautiously.

Tony whipped around to face the kid, being careful to soften his face slightly as he did so.

"What, Pete?"

Peter looked up at Cap briefly, before making his statement.

"Mr. Rogers is right." He said quietly.

Tony furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

"How?"

"Well, uh, I-uh, I got a sense from that woman, and so we went to talk to her, but she started to run away. Then when we got to the carpark, she attacked." Peter looked him in the eye. "It wasn't Captains fault! He was just defending himself and me!"

Tony looked at peter for a second, and then took a deep breath. He had over reacted. He nodded slightly, grateful for the kids input.

"Okay." He said finally, he took a step back from cap, and placed a hand on his arm. "Sorry." He mumbled.

Steve smiled at him.

"It's okay. I understand. Although, I think this might be something to follow up on."

Tony looked between the two of them, knowing what they were silently asking of him.

"No. Not me. You two can handle this one. I'm going on my honey moon."

They both looked a little surprised.

"Oh come on!" He almost snarled, he felt a little guilty seeing Peter's face, "You seriously think I'm going to come out of retirement just to follow a woman? I just got married! Like, an hour ago! Trust me, you two a perfectly capable of handling this one alone." He explained, his voice softening as he went.

Cap and Peter looked at each other, and then both nodded slightly.

"Okay, Mr. Stark." Peter agreed quietly.

"Okay, Tony."

Tony looked between the two, and put a hand on each of their shoulders, turning them to walk back to the wedding.

"Straighten out your suits, we've got a party to get back to." He said, leading them to the path. "And also, if either of you tell Pepper about this I will murder you!"


	2. Chapter 2

The night was drawing to a close and Peter had to admit that even he was exhausted. After the incident, he had found Happy and stuck by his side for the remainder of the party. The older man had given him a fake glare, but had made no comment to the cut on his suit jacket or the dirt on his pants. He seemed to understand Peter's desire to remain hidden for the rest of the night and allowed the boy to linger close. Finally, just after mid-night, Peter could hide his weariness no more and asked Happy if they could head back to the tower.

"Sure thing, kid. Boss just wanted me to let him know when I'm taking you back. So, give me a sec." Happy said, and walked over to where Pepper and Tony stood chatting with other guests in the now darkened pavilion.

Peter watched as Happy touched Mr. Starks arm lightly, getting his attention, then said something for his ears only. Mr. Starks eyes lifted and met his own before going back to Happy's face. He seemed to nod and then excused himself from his guests and made his way over to Peter, the disco lights dancing around him as he did.

"Hey Kid." He greeted Peter softly. "Sorry for yelling before. It's just been a hectic day, as you can imagine."

Peter just smiled up at him from where he sat. Mr. Stark pulled out the chair next to him and sat down close to Peter so that they faced each other.

"You sure you're okay to housesit while we're away for the week?"

Peter nodded eagerly.

"Yes, sir!"

Mr. Stark smiled, happiness returning to his face and a small chuckle escaping him.

"Now, remember. If you need anything, you can call Happy. I know you're excited to have your own space for a few days, but if you do get lonely, you can invite Jed over. But! You can only go into the lab if Happy is there or someone else responsible."

Peter laughed and shook his head a little at this.

"Thanks, Mr. Stark."

The two sat in silence for a moment before Mr. Stark let out a small, but happy sigh and stood up, Peter followed.

"Be good while we're gone." Mr. Stark said gently, and placed a hand on Peters shoulder.

Peter rolled his eyes jokingly extracting a laugh from Mr. Stark.

"Have a good time away, Mr. Stark" Peter finally said with a small smile.

Mr. Stark grinned at him wickedly.

"Oh I will, boy!" He exclaimed as he walked away, leaving Peter a little embarrassed.

Happy appeared next to him.

"You ready, kid?" He asked, obviously ready to leave himself.

"Yeah, Happy, let's go."

He followed Happy out of the pavilion into the dark night outside. They walked down the pathway, now lit by small solar lights on each side of the path. Peter couldn't stop his mind from flashing back to his earlier fight with the Captain against the mysterious woman. He frowned a little and he thought to himself.

"You alright, kid?" Happy asked suddenly.

"Wha-oh, uh- yeah! Just thinking!"

Happy just nodded at him and they continued to the car. They arrived and Peter climbed into the back seat of the Mercedes. He leaned his head against the door and shut his eyes, immediately feeling the pull of sleep.

His mind began racing in his sleep, a dream forming in the depths of his mind. A dream, or a memory. An orange planet, he was not alone. There were others there. The doctor, the alien, the man with the red coat, and the blue man. They were scared. But then, a space ship arrived, and out walked Tony Stark.

_"__But…how?" _He asked in his dream.

Suddenly, the dream changed, he was sitting in a field and Mr. Stark was yelling at him

_"__I said, enough!"_ He screamed at him.

Even in his dream, Peter could sense the deep pain in Mr. Stark as he had yelled at him nearly a year ago. But this time, it was different, he felt weird. He felt odd.

_"__Mr. Stark?" _He asked shakily, he held up his hand, and began hyperventilating when he saw it vanishing before his very eyes, turning into dust.

_"__Mr. Stark!" _He cried.

"Kid!" Came a different voice.

Peter's eyes snapped open. Happy was next to him on the back seat, he looked worried.

"Wha-"

"You fell asleep and I couldn't wake you up for a moment there! Nearly gave me a heart attack!" Happy said quickly, looking a little irritated.

"Oh, uh, sorry" Peter mumbled, still sleepy.

"We're here." Happy announced. 'You alright to go in or would you like me to walk you in?"

"Oh, no. You don't need to do that. I'll go in."

"You got your security card?" Happy asked, an eyebrow raised.

Peter patted the pockets of his jacket, feeling the small card inside.

"Aha." He said.

"Alright, out you get kid. I'll drive off once you get inside the lift." Happy said.

"Oh, okay. Thanks, Happy." Peter said as he slid out of the back seat and made his way to the entrance of the tower.

He looked behind him to the car, Happy had gotten out of the backseat and was now climbing in the driver's seat. Peter continued forward to the front door, while this door was automatic during the day, after hours it remained locked. He swiped his card and the doors opened for him, allowing him into the giant entry way of Stark tower. Normally it was bustling with people, but now, it was dark and empty. He walked quickly down a hall way on the opposite side, still visible to Happy from the road, and pressed the button for the lift. Seconds later the doors opened. He turned and gave Happy a wave before he stepped in. The car horn honked twice and Happy drove off, knowing Peter was safely inside the lift.

The doors closed.

"Good evening Peter. Which level?" FRIDAY asked.

"Hi Friday. Um, living quarters please." He replied.

The lift began to rise quickly. Peter couldn't help but notice how silent it was by himself at night. He felt as though he were the only one in the entire tower. The doors opened to the living area and he stepped into the Stark's expansive living room. Too tired to dwell, he headed down the hall to his left toward the room that had become his. Again, he noticed how silent the apartment was without Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts there. He sighed to himself and opened his door. Without changing, he fell straight into bed and into a dreamless sleep.

Steve sat in his darkened apartment well after two a.m passed. He was anxious and nervous, something he had been beginning to feel a lot more often recently. He couldn't help but think about the way Stark had snapped at him after he had seen Peter's arm. He had realised immediately after Tony had found them that he didn't care that the two of them had left to check something out, he was mad because Steve allowed his protégée to be hurt. Of course, there had been a mixture of irritation at them for running out as well. But now Steve sat staring at the wall, wondering how he was going to be able to fix this one with Tony.

There had been a time when they would have considered each other close friends. Sure, the relationship had never been easy, they were extremely different people. But after the accords it had been all out war. He'd held out hope for a moment in Siberia, but that had ended worse than anything else.

Steve felt another jab of anxiety run through his heart as he thought of how he and Bucky had left Tony there all alone. After that, they had not spoken for years, giving each other space. But then Thanos happened, and after the war, Stark had offered an olive branch of sorts by buying Steve's apartment and allowing him to live there for free. He knew that it was a small gesture on Tony's part, the man wouldn't miss the money, but to Steve, it was everything. After that, he'd thrown himself into his work at Shield and into his relationship with Tony. Things had gotten better, Tony even inviting him to his wedding, but the strain was still there. As long as Steve was friends with Bucky, the strain would always be there.

But now, he knew he would have to apologise privately to the man after he got back from his short honey moon. He knew he'd crossed a line by dragging Peter into his fight. But still, the kid had proved useful. And the woman had been greatly concerning. He suspected that she had received some form of super soldier serum, allowing her to withstand a fight between both himself and Peter. He needed help if he was going to crack this one and Peter was a smart kid, perhaps he could ask Peter to help him research the case without involving him in the action.

He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Peter. Then, locking his screen, got up from his chair and made his way to his bed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Good morning Peter." Came Friday's voice.

Peter groaned and buried himself further in the covers.

"You received one message from Steve Rogers early this morning. Shall I read it to you?"

Peter's eyes opened hearing that. It was very rare that the Cap would send him a text message. He felt a little urgency.

"Yeah, read it out Fri."

"Hey Peter. Sorry for sending this so late. I was wondering, if I were to head over to the tower tomorrow, would you be able to help me out with some research into the woman? Might involve some computer stuff. End message."

"Oh, uh. Tell him that's fine. What time is it."

"It is currently ten-thirty-five in the morning."

Peter let his eyes close a little again.

"You know what Fri. It's summer vacation. Tell Captain that he can come after one p.m." He mumbled, allowing himself to be pulled gently back to sleep.

"If I may, Peter. I would recommend contacting Ned Leeds." Friday suggested.

"Hmmm? Wha-why?" He muttered.

"Captain Rogers has implied that computer work is involved."

Peter turned and glared up at the ceiling, not at all enjoying what Friday was insinuating.

"I can do computer stuff just fine, Friday." He retorted.

"It seems to me that there is an urgency to the message, this may imply that the computer work Captain Rogers refers to may be even beyond your skill set." Fridays steady voice explained.

Peter let out a deep sigh.

"Yeah alright. I'll text Ned and see if he wants to come over. Mr. Stark said he could anyway."

"If I may make one more suggestion, Peter." Friday began.

"Yeah?"

"I would inform Mr. Hogan of Captain Rogers presence in the apartment."

Peter furrowed his brow, not quite following the A.I's train of thought.

"No, no. Need to bother Happy about this. I'll call him if something comes up."

Friday remained silent, and Peter could almost feel her judgement, despite her lack of presence. He gave the ceiling an odd look before letting it go. Now thoroughly awake after his conversation, he slowly rolled out of bed, realising he was still in his suit from the night before. He felt gross. Quickly, he leaped into the shower where he stayed for a long while, just enjoying the hot water and peacefulness. Finally, he got out and threw on an old t-shirt and track pants. Opening his door, he walked out into the hallway. He looked down and saw the sunlight gushing in from the wall length windows of the living room. Walking down he turned to walk into the kitchen and make himself some breakfast. As he sat down to eat the waffles he had prepared, he suddenly remembered to text Ned. He whipped out his iPhone, something Mr. Stark constantly teased him for owning.

_"__Hey Ned, Cap needs some help on some computer stuff. Reakon you could come round the tower at one?"_

The response was almost instant.

_"__CAPTAIN AMERICA NEEDS MY HELP? YES!"_

Peter chuckled to himself, and then closed the messenger app. He scrolled to his photos app and began to browse the pictures from the night before. He couldn't help but grin stupidly at them. There were pictures that he'd taken in the mirror of his suit to send to Aunt May. Pictures of him and Mr. Stark before the weeding as they all got ready together despite the fact that Peter was not part of the bridal party. There we're pictures of the beautiful ceremony, of the kiss, the cake cutting. But the one that Peter stopped to look at the longest was one of himself, Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts. Peter knew he smiling like an idiot as he looked at it. He stood between them in the gardens where the ceremony had taken place, right before they had moved to the pavilion. Ms. Potts look gorgeous in her dress, her arm thrown around Peter's waist. Mr. Stark stood on the other side, his arm around Peter's shoulder. Both of them looking at Peter and laughing at something he had said. He felt a small twinge of sadness, knowing that Aunt May hadn't been there to share the special moment, but he knew she would appreciate it non-the-less. He quickly sent her the picture with a small, sweet message.

He looked at the time, it was nearly twelve-forty-five He had spent the entire morning sleeping and scrolling through his phone! He quickly jumped into action, putting his dishes in the dishwasher.

"Peter. Ned Leeds Is down stairs requesting access to the living quarters. Do you permit access?"

"Yeah, let him up."

He quickly wiped down the breakfast bar where he had eaten and walked into the living room to meet Ned, grinning wildly when he saw his best friend.

Ned walked in, his eyes widening as he took in the expansive apartment.

"Dude, I can't believe you have this place to yourself for a week! It's crazy!" He exclaimed.

Peter chuckled slightly, sometimes he felt as though he was getting used to Mr. Starks lifestyle and would forget how outrageous some of the things Mr. Stark owned were.

"I guess so." Peter offered with his chuckle.

Ned spun around, taking in the room despite having been there before.

"So when's Captain America get here?" He asked, speaking quickly with excitement.

"Peter." Friday interrupted.

Peter gestured to the ceiling as his answer.

"Captain Rogers has arrived and is requesting access to the living quarters. Do you permit access?"

"Yes, Friday."

The lift went down again, and Peter could see Ned visibly vibrating with excitement.

"Dude! You've got to chill!"

"It's Captain America!" Ned exclaimed with a whisper, his eyes wide with gleeful excitement.

Peter had to hold back the urge to roll his eye, albeit, in a humorous manner.

The lift opened again and in walked Captain Steve Rogers in all his glory. He was a large man with a presence to match, and so it came as no surprise when Ned let out a tiny squeal of excitement.

Steve walked into Tony's large living area two be greeted by Peter, and a larger boy next to him who squealed slightly when he saw him. He grinned at the boy and reached out a hand.

"Hi, I'm Steve." He said in his most soothing voice.

The boy looked taken aback, his mouth falling open as he stared at the hand that was reaching out to shake his.

Steve had to physically hold back his laughter when he saw Peter roll his eyes, the boy was a miniature Tony Stark even if he didn't know it yet! Peter nudged his friend, who hesitantly reached forward and shook his hand.

"G-g-good to meet you sir, I'm, uh, Ned. Peter's friend!" He added quickly as an after thought.

Steve chuckled to himself, happy to meet one of Peter's friends.

"It's good to meet you Ned."

"Ned's here to help. You mentioned something about computers, so Friday implied that might involve hacking or coding, and that's Ned's thing."

Steve looked back at the boy who was nodding excitedly.

"Well, it's good to have your help. I must admit that technology is my Achilles heel." He said. "Is there, uh, somewhere we can work?" He asked.

Ned looked over at Peter.

"Well, we could go to Mr. Starks Lab. He said I could go in there if someone was with me.' Pete suggested.

Steve lifted a hand.

"Lead the way."

They all walked back into the lift, after directing Friday to where they wanted to go, they came to the level that was entirely dedicated as Mr. Starks labs. There were multiple on the floor, but Mr. Starks personal one was directly connected to his personal lift. They all walked out and into the smaller glass entry way that led to the glass door. Sensing the approach, a panel appeared on one of the glass walls and Peter quickly punched in his code, unlocking the door.

The walked over to one of the computer stations, one that Mr. Stark had prepared specifically for Peter when he came to stay with them, it sat on a high bench with a high workstation stool in front of it. Peter pointed them in the right direction, and stole Mr. Starks rolling chair from his desk, and another stool from one of the work benches, allowing everyone to sit, although, one was significantly lower given that they sat in the comfortable rolling chair. Peter logged into the computer, and then moved aside to allow Ned to take control.

"So, Cap." Peter began, looking down at the captain he sat slightly awkwardly in Mr. Starks chair. "What exactly should we be looking for?"

Steve looked up at both of the young boys, he was not insecure about being lower, but it did hurt his neck a little to look up from this angle. But he did not show this.

"Is there any way that we could hack into CCTV cameras from around the wedding and figure out where she went after she ran off?"

As he was still speaking, Ned had opened a program on the computer and was typing wildly with Peter staring over his shoulder with something akin to admiration on his face.

Steve continued speaking while Ned typed.

"I mean, I know that might not be possible, but it-"

"Got it." Ned informed him, cutting him off slightly.

Steve felt his head jerk back slightly, surprised the by the boy who had been overly excited just a few minutes ago.

"Oh, great! Can we follow her?" He asked, standing up from the chair to also look over the boys shoulder.

Ned looked over his shoulder at Peter, grinning wildly as he mouthed,

"Captain America!", he mouthed silently.

Steve pretended not to notice, but couldn't help the playful smile that took over.

Peter nudged his friend back into focus.

"Oh, uh, yeah." Ned said.

The footage came up on the screen of Steve and Peter's fight with the woman.

"Woah, Peter. That's insane!" Ned yelled as the footage showed Peter tackling the woman.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Maybe not." Peter said as the footage then showed him getting stabbed.

Ned cringed.

The footage showed the woman running off.

"Okay, can we follow her?" Steve asked, a little anxious now that he'd seen the fight on screen.

"Yep!"

Ned typed once more, another feed came up showing the woman's continued sprint down the drive. The next showing the same. Then, finally, the footage showed he jumping into the back of a plain, white van.

They followed the van as it drove through New York state, making its way back to the city. The process became longer than Steve had expected as they watched the entirety of the two hour long journey, fast forwarded, in half an hour, before the woman finally pulled up in front of a run-down apartment complex in Brooklyn.

Ned seemed to hesitate for a second, before looking at Steve.

"Should I keep following her? I mean, this might be her house."

"Yeah, keep following her, Ned." Peter encouraged, leaning forward, eyes glued to the screen.

Ned hesitated.

"Please, Ned. If she's a danger to us then it might be best to know where she's based." Steve explained, hoping that would convince the boy.

Ned's fingers hovered, hesitating for another moment before he typed again. Suddenly, they had eyes inside the building. The followed the woman up to her apartment.

"Number fifty-six!" Peter noted excitedly.

Elated, Steve slapped a hand on Ned's shoulder, a grin forming on the boys face.

"Excellent! Thanks for your help boys! I'll make my way over and just make sure nothing is going down." He said as he turned to leave the lab.

Peter and Ned exchanged frantic glances.

"Wait! You're confronting her again?" Peter asked.

Steve turned to face the boy who stared at him with wide eyes.

"Yes."

"Well, can I come with you?" He asked.

Steve felt himself hesitate. He had wanted to avoid this situation.

"I, uh. I don't think Tony would-"

He was cut off by Peter's dramatic sigh.

"Mr. Stark would lock me in a tower if he could. Besides, last time you approached her, she managed to escape, so you need back up." Peter explained earnestly.

"I don't thin-"

"Please, cap! Think of how cool it would be if we could tell Mr. Stark we caught the woman!" Peter pleaded.

Steve frowned a little, knowing very well how it would go if that was not how it played out.

"The other side of that is you get hurt and Stark murders me in cold blood." He stated gravely.

Ned's eyes widened hearing this. He glanced quickly between.

"Come on Cap! You know I can do this! Please. Just let me join you here, and if anything happens, I'll take responsibility."

Steve frowned a little at this, he knew very well that Peter was manipulating him. He had laughed earlier at the similarities between Tony and the boy, but now it was just becoming concerning. He sighed and ran a hand over the back of his head, if the boy truly was like Stark then even if he said no, the kid would probably turn up anyway. It would be better if he said yes and then was able to keep an eye on him if anything went awry.

"Okay. Suit up. But if anything happens, you get to explain it to Stark." He warned.

Peter grinned and tapped a Nano housing unit that Steve had not noticed until that point. His armour melted out and covered his body.

"Ready when you are, Cap!" The boy said, skipping past him to the lift.

Ned had remained behind in the lab, collecting data from facial recognition and other data bases after the two heroes had left. He worked solidly for several hours before he received a call from his mother informing him it was time to go home. Getting up from the seat, he made his way out of the lab, being careful to close the door behind him, and wondering if he was even allowed to be in there without Peter or Mr. Stark. He walked into the lift.

"Where to, Ned?" Friday asked.

Ned grinned, he would never get used to this.

"Ground floor, please!"

The lift began to lower.

"Would you like Happy to drive you home, Ned?" Friday asked.

"No, no. Thank you. I'll catch the train. Mum doesn't expect me for another half an hour anyway." He said quickly.

The lift opened on the ground floor. It was a work day, despite him being on summer vacation, and so the reception area was bustling with activity. He took out an ear pod and tucked it in, pressing play on his music. He walked out the door to Stark tower and began down the street before coming to a side street that promised a short cut to the subway station. He knew better to walk through with his music on, and so paused the music and took out one pod. He walked through, noticing how dark it was. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like he was being watched. Sensing a presence behind him, he turned and saw a large man only inches from him.

Before he could even scream, something hit him from behind, and his world went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

They stood in a filthy hall way, a florescent lamp above them flickering slightly, illuminating the torn carpet of the narrow hallway. Peter stood with his back to the wall, leaning against it slightly to try and hear inside but also remain ready while Cap stood in front of the dingy wooden door. Both were well prepared for the fight this time, Peter's Spider-Man outfit covered all but his face, and cap wore a tight running shirt and long track pants.

"Okay, now, remember kid, you stay with me no matter what. Keep your com on so that if we do get separated, we can regroup. And please, don't get hurt. I don't need Tony to murder me." Cap reminded him.

Peter looked over at him, his eyes wide with adrenaline.

"If I remember correctly, Mr. Stark said that he would leave this with us. So, I'm sure he'll be fine with it." Peter reminded Cap.

Cap just looked at him for a second, a frown playing on his face, and, Peter could have sworn he'd seen a little irritation flicker across also. He seemed to shake it off quickly, however.

Cap knocked on the door.

"Shield, open up!" He called.

There was no noise from inside, all that came was the faintest of echoes from Cap's knock. Cap pounded on the door once more after a moment.

"You hear anything?" He asked Peter quietly.

Peter leaned against the wall and listened, closing his eyes to concentrate, he could make out the sounds of breathing on the other side. He opened his eyes once more and nodded, the face of his suit covering his face as he did so.

Cap nodded back, and gestured for him to follow him. He reached behind him and pulled out a gun, preparing himself to protect the two of them. Quickly looking back at Peter, he rushed the door and slammed into it on his side, smashing it down.

The result was instant, the woman clearly assumed that Cap was the only one there and attempted to sprint out the door once it was down. She ran straight into Peter, who grabbed her by the arm and slammed her against the wall, creating a dent behind her. She looked taken aback, but recovered quickly. With Peters arm over her waist from where he grabbed her, she swung and punched him on the head. However, Peter had learned from last time. He took the blow and then reached down and found the knife on the side of her pants and ripped it off, throwing it to the ground and punching her on the jaw, as hard as he dared, holding back just a little, not wanting to kill the woman. She swayed slightly, and the slipped through his arm, falling to the ground unconscious.

He looked over at Steve, who had a slightly shocked look on his face.

"You couldn't have done that last time? I had forgotten you were so strong!"

"Well, Mr. Stark is protective of my identity, and I didn't want to give her too much evidence." He explained quickly.

"Aha," Steve said with a nod. "Well, let's get her upstate to the avenger's facility for integration."

"Yeah, okay, cool." Peter said, sounding distracted.

"You alright kid?" Cap asked, concern leaking through his voice.

"Uh, I just haven't heard from Ned to tell me he got home safe. I mean, it's probably nothing he probably just forgot to text. It's just a little tradition we have" He explained.

Cap nodded, his brow creasing slightly.

"Well, give him a call while we drive upstate. You should make sure you have his back." He said as he reached down the throw the unconscious woman over his shoulder to the van that waited for them on the street.

It was a long drive upstate, the woman remained handcuffed in the back, something that was somehow legal since Shield was allowed to detain with the intent of interrogation. She awoke half an hour out from the facility, at first, she looked around frantically, before making eye contact with Peter, who sat in the front passenger seat, casting quick, wary looks back at their captive. She held his gaze with a fiery glare of her own, before she turned to look out the window for the short remainder of the journey.

Peter looked down at his phone, a small frown playing on his face. He had still not received any message from Ned. He knew better than to panic though, despite their commitment to each other's safety, Peter knew sometimes people just forgot to message. As if reading his thoughts, Cap spoke up from the driver's seat, casting a sidelong glance at Peter.

"Nothing from Ned?"

Peter looked up at him, his brow crinkling a little, showing his concern.

"No. And I know I shouldn't worry, but, I guess this whole crazy lady thing has got me a little." He explained, speaking quickly through the nervous energy that had been building in him during the entire trip.

"Did you call him?" Cap asked, his tone calm and even.

"Well, no. I don't want to bother him if he's busy."

Cap looked over at the boy and gave him a gentle smile.

"I'm sure Ned wouldn't mind. Here," He said as he turned down the music that had been filling the car, "Call him now."

Peter looked at Cap hesitantly for a second, and then gave a quick nod as he unlocked his phone and called Ned.

It rung all the way through. Upon hearing the beep, Peter left a quick message.

"Hey, Ned! Peter here. Just wanted to make sure you got home alright. Text me back when you can!" He said as cheerfully as he could, hoping that if Ned did hear that he wouldn't hear the concern in his voice.

He looked back at Cap for a second, and was met with the man's familiar, reassuring smile.

"I'm sure everything will be okay, Peter." The man assured him, reaching down to turn the volume on the music back up a little as the two returned to their earlier comfortable silence.

The pulled into the facility and parked out the front. As soon as the car stopped, Peter and Cap both jumped out, slamming the doors of the grey van behind them. They came around to the side of the van closest to the building entrance, and Peter slid the van door open so that they could see their captor.

She remained seated, her hands together, looking sideways between Peter and Cap. Cap reached in and grabbed her arm, assisting her exit from the van. She did not resist, but seemed to be rather compliant. They walked her through the large, glass, front doors and made their way to the nearest available interrogation room. Walking down the slightly darkened hallway, Peter couldn't help but shiver a little. He was certain it was not his spidey senses going off. But there was something else. If he were superstitious, he would have claimed it to be a bad omen, but he had nothing else other than a bad feeling of what was ahead.

Cap accompanied the woman into the small interrogation room and quickly cuffed her to the cold, metal table before taking a seat across from her. Peter hovered behind the Captain, not entirely certain of what to do. Mr. Stark had never allowed him to be part of an interrogation, but he certainly wasn't going to tell Cap that!

He took in the room, noting the cold air and the near black walls, lit only by one, cold, white florescent strip in the ceiling. Behind them was a glass sheet, a two-way mirror. He had never even been allowed behind there before either!

"So." Cap began, bringing Peter out of his own mind, "Why were you at the wedding?"

The woman stared at him, the harsh lighting of the room highlighting the harsh contour of her face, something that made Peter feel even more on edge.

"It does not matter." She responded in a thick, Russian accent.

Cap raised an eyebrow and leaned over the table a little from where he sat in his seat.

"Look, if you tell us what we need to know, we can probably let this slide if it turns out to be nothing major."

A smile grew on the woman's face, not a warm, comforting one, but a cold, almost snarling one that should some teeth.

"There is nothing you need to know." She replied. "But, I suspect, you will want to know something.. very special."

Cap looked back at Peter for a second, before turning his head back to the woman.

"Something… special?"

The woman began to laugh a little, sounding a little beyond happy and into the manic stage. Peter flicked his eyes to Cap, he didn't feel overly comfortable know, she was coming off a little creepy. But he crossed his arms over his chest, determined to make it through the interrogation.

She ceased laughing, quite suddenly, her eyes roaming over the Peter, and her smile creeping a little wider.

"You know, boy. You have quite the punch." She began. "But, you hurt one of us, and we hurt one of yours."

Cap and Peter made eye contact, a silent message transmitting between the two of them.

"Wha-wha-what do you mean by that?" Peter asked, moving to hide himself by standing behind Cap's chair, arms still crossed.

"I mean, your friend Ned Leeds is having a lovely European vacation."

Peter took in a sharp, shaky breath, his eyes widening in horror.

"Where did you take Ned?" Cap demanded with all of his authority.

The woman looked back down at Cap, a knowing glint catching in her eye.

"Oh, Captain. You would know it well. A lovely bunker in… Siberia."

Peter saw Cap clench his fist and heard the sharp intake of breath that he took. He understood exactly why he had responded in such a way. Peter was well aware of the history that Cap had with bunkers in Siberia.

Peter jumped back just in time for Cap to suddenly push his chair back and watched on in some mild confusion as the man all but stormed out of the room. Peter glanced at the woman quickly, before jogging after the captain, turning back down the dark hallway.

"Hey, Cap, Captain! Wait up!" He called after him.

Cap stopped at the end of the hall, running his hand quickly through his hair. He looked down at Peter as he jogged to meet up with him.

"We are going to go and get him, right?" He asked.

Cap frowned severely.

"The first thing we need is proof that they actually have Ned, because otherwise we could be walking straight into a trap."

Peter looked to the side for a moment before raising his finger.

"I have an idea!" He said, and walked past Cap down the hall, leaving the man to simply regain his composure and follow after the boy.

Steve followed the smaller boy into one of Starks private labs located on the Avengers facility. He had to admit, he was impressed that Stark trusted the boy enough to grant him access to the room. Peter walked over to the large desk in the centre of the room. It faced the glass door that the two of them had just entered through. The desk seemed to wrap itself around the large chair in the centre, and three transparent screens hovered above its cool, dark surface. Peter sat comfortably in the chair and pulled himself up to the computer. Steve watched with some mild unease as Peter used Tony's account to log in. The boy seemed to sense this unease and turned to face him slightly.

"Mr. Stark's account has better software installed for tracking." He explained meekly, before adding, "He wouldn't let me put it on my account."

Steve felt himself chuckle a little at Tony's attempt to limit Peter's snooping. He watched as the kid opened up a program and waited for it to load.

While Peter did this, Steve glanced around the large workspace. He couldn't help but always feel a little out of his element in these workspaces, but everything about it reminded him of Tony. He looked at the small trinkets on the desk, pictures in frames of Tony and Pepper, and even one of Tony and Peter.

"Got it." Peter said a good while sooner than Steve had expected. He jerked his head back to look at the screen over the boy's shoulder.

"How did you find it so quickly?" He asked.

Peter let out a small chuckle.

"Mr. Stark doesn't trust anyone." He explained, turning in Tony's chair to face him, "He put a tracking device on Ned's phone the first time they met. "

Steve could only respond with a mildly concerned look, before looking back up at the screen. He recognised the location instantly.

"Looks like our lady wasn't lying." He muttered, and then stood to his full height, the kids eyes following him as he did. "You up for a mission, son?"

Peter's eyes widened with excitement.


	5. Chapter 5

The room was dark and cold, goose bumps covered his skin and his teeth were chattering together wildly. Ned lay on his side on a hard army bed, a chain attached to his ankle bolted from the wall on the opposite side of the small, dirty cell.

"Mum?" He called weakly as he opened his dark eyes for the first time in nearly a day to take in his frightening surroundings.

He sat up, and instantly regretted it, nausea and dizziness joining forces with the sudden pounding in his head. He slowly laid himself back down to the pillow-less cot, a small, feeble groan escaping him.

"Peter." He mumbled desperately, hoping that his friend was somehow nearby and ready to swing in and rescue him.

Nothing came. He laid on his back and looked up at the small, glass window with interior and exterior bars. He frowned a little as a snowflake landed against the glass, not comprehending how it could be currently snowing in New York.

Tony could not believe how relaxed he felt in this very moment. He lay on his back on a comfortable patio lounge on the front porch of the villa he had hired for his and Pepper's honeymoon. Pulling up his cap slightly, he squinted as the bright sunlight came through, the sunlight that had caused him to turn a few shades darker over the last few days, after a moment, he turned his head to the side to look at the view of the private beach before him. He smiled as he saw Pepper standing in her bikini, waves crashing into her legs as she seemed to simply enjoy standing in the cool, clear waters. He admired her for a moment, before chuckling to himself and allowing his head to fall back against the soft pillow beneath him. He knew he had succeeded in planning the perfect honeymoon for them, and Pepper seemed to have agreed and had taken great pleasure in showing him her gratitude. They had landed on the private, Greek island only days before, and already, neither of them wanted to ever leave, happy to stay out in the hot sun and splash in the cool water. He couldn't help but think to himself that they deserved this. The two of them worked so damn hard all of the time, rarely taking time for themselves, and now, they had a whole week just to enjoy each other. The thought brought a deeper smile to his face, and pride to his heart when he thought of Pepper.

Despite how content he was, he couldn't help but allow his mind to drift toward Peter. The boy had seemed a little rattled after his confrontation with the woman at his wedding. And despite his statement that Cap and Peter could handle the situation, he desperately hoped that Steve wasn't dumb enough to allow Peter to join him in anything too dangerous. He had been furious upon seeing Peter injured outside the wedding, Steve should have protected the boy! Roger's knew very well that the invitation for the wedding was a continuation of the un-official peace treaty, one that could be easily broken if anyone Tony loved was hurt because of the Captain. Frowning a little, he sat up slightly, overcome with the urge to call and check in on Peter. He got up from the soft couch and walked across the wooden flooring, into the villa, and picked up his phone from the entry table.

"Call Peter." He muttered, and held out the phone so the camera could catch his face.

Peter's surprised face came onto the screen as he answered Tony's call on his iPhone.

"Hey, uh, hi! Mr. Stark!" The boy stuttered a little.

Tony felt his brow crease as he noticed Peter in his Spider-Man costume.

"Nothing much kid." He replied, plastering on a relaxed smile, sounding casual. 'I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing all by yourself in that tower."

Tony saw the clear panic on Peter's face, and felt some sort of dread, mixed with a little irritation fill him. He walked over to the end of the bed that he and Pepper were sharing and sat down.

"Oh uh, well, actually. Um, Cap and I are just, you know, following up." The kid stammered.

Tony let his relaxed façade drop, right as Pepper walked through the villa entrance, Tony glanced up at her, glad that she had thought to throw on a shirt since the boy could see her on his screen. Pepper looked over at him, concern filling her own face as she saw Tony's worried expression. Tony looked back at Peter.

"Following up on what, Pete?" He asked, feeling a little bad for the sternness of his voice.

"Well, just, that, you know, you said that Cap and I could handle this one ourselves." Peter said in a small voice.

Tony risked a glance up at Pepper, she gave him a look that made him want to cower a little.

"Handle what?" She asked, loud enough for Peter to hear.

"Oh, hi Ms. Potts!" Peter greeted, visibly cringing as he did.

Tony let the name slide, looking up at Pepper.

"A small incident after the wedding, Pep. Nothing major. Just some crazy lady." Tony rushed to explain.

Pepper raised an eyebrow, before walking over and joining Tony at the end of the bed.

"Peter. What is going on?" She demanded.

Peter and Tony shared a panicked look through the screen. Suddenly, the camera on Peter's end moved from Peter to a taller man. Tony held back his grimace as Steve's face filled the screen.

"Hey Pepper. Look, there was a woman at your wedding who I was worried about. We confronted her and now we're just following up on some leads." Steve explained in a cool, calm tone.

Tony glared at him through the screen and swore lightly under his breath, knowing that this would not end well for him. He glanced up at Pepper, finding her hard look on him, he gave her a small, risky grin, hoping to charm his way out of this. She simply rolled her eyes.

"So, uh, where are you guys? It doesn't look like you're at the tower." Tony said nervously, still aware of Peppers presence next to him.

"We're currently flying to Siberia. Ned was taken." Came Peter's small response.

Pepper sucked in her breath slightly, her hand going to Tony's lower back, rubbing gently, her other gripping his arm.

"So you two are flying over to retrieve him?" Tony asked, voice hard and jaw set.

"Uh, yeah. I mean. You did say for us to handle it." Peter offered timidly, looking very much like a small school boy.

"Yeah. And I was hoping that someone there would understand that that meant Peter doing research. Not flying to fucking Siberia!" He snapped, his eyes focusing in on Steve. "How did you even figure out where he was, did someone leave a note?"

He felt Pepper's hand on his back, trying to sooth him and help him see reason through his anger. He shoved back images of Siberia from his mind, determined not to dwell too much in the past.

Steve seemed to sigh a little, and Peter's eyes were blown wide, he was clearly feeling caught in the middle, a little taken aback by Tony's outburst.

"Um, well. I, uh, actually sued your server to track him." Peter offered, his voice failing him as he seemed to shrink a little behind Cap in the frame.

Tony felt his eyes almost bulge out of his head, he looked at Pepper again before glaring back at the boy.

"You did what?"

Peter seemed to jump on his defensive mode, speaking quickly, almost too quickly.

"well, it was the only way to see where he was, I know you said not to do it, but I couldn't think of any other way, and since you said for us to handle it, I handled it!"

Tony dropped his head to his chest for a second, taking deep breaths to control his frustration.

"Peter. That's a government server." He said seriously, "You can't just go on there."

He raised his head again, looking at Peter through the screen, the boy looked horrified by his mistake.

"I-I'm so sorry Mr. Stark. I-I just, I was, we needed to find Ned."

"Tony, Peter was just trying to help." Steve said gently, quickly re-sparking the fury that Tony had momentarily pushed down.

"You know what, Rogers. You don't get input on this conversation." He all but spat.

"Look, Tony. I know I messed up at the wedding. But this woman is strong and I'm a little out of my depth. I could really use the kid's help on this." He explained patiently.

"Rogers-" He began, only to be cut off by the man himself.

"Tony. Look, I know you're mad. But please, unless you intend on joining us, I really don't have another option, that's why I allowed him to do it. And I need help, Peter is stronger than I am, and better with technology. Plus, it's a ticking clock situation with Ned, we don't really know who has him or what they intend to do with him!" Steve implored him.

Tony sighed, and glanced over at Pepper. She gave him a small, comforting smile.

"Okay." He finally said. "But if Peter is hurt in anyway, Rogers, I will not hesitate to find some way to scratch up that pretty face of yours." He threatened in a cold tone, satisfied when he saw the other man swallow a little.

"Tony." Pepper reprimanded him softly.

He rolled his eyes, sighing once again.

"Steve." He said, knowing how vulnerable he sounded. "Just… just keep him safe."

Steve just nodded, his face serious.

"Will do. Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon, Tony." He said, before the call was ended.

Tony let the phone drop down onto his lap and fell back into the bed, his hands running over his face. Pepper sat at the end of the bed, looking concerned.

"One week, Pep. That's all. One week without something going wrong!"

He felt the bed shift slightly, and moved his hands to find Pepper crawling to lay beside him. He watched as she stretched out, still with his old t-shit thrown over her bikini. She lay on her side, facing him, and draped herself over his chest, looking up into his eyes.

"It'll be okay, Tony. Peter is more than capable." She promised him, before adding, "Besides, if Steve hurts Peter, or allows him to be hurt, you won't be the only one scratching that pretty face of his."

"You think his face is pretty?"

He arched his head to look down at her, and let out small smile as she chuckled, his anxiety draining away at the sight of her. She seemed to sense his need for comfort, and simply held him as he lay on the bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Steve watched as the boy before him paced up and down the self-piloting quin jet, slightly concerned as the boy muttered to himself.

"I'm in so much trouble, so much trouble!" He seemed to be repeating to himself. "He's going to kill me. Actually, kill me!"

Steve, felt he could relate, he had been slightly taken aback by Stark's outburst, even more surprised that he hadn't hidden it from the boy. He felt a small rush of anxiety at the thought, but quickly shoved it down deep, knowing it would distract him in the inevitable fight they faced before them. Right now, he needed to deal with the panicking teen ager before him.

"Peter." He called, the boy kept pacing, lost in his own little world, "Peter!" He called again.

This time the boy stopped pacing and turned to face him, his body tense and brow creased.

"You're not in trouble." Steve assured him, forcing a small smile onto his face.

Peter have him an incredulous look, and lifted a hand slightly.

"You and I were on the same phone call, right? The one where Mr. Stark yelled at both of us?" He countered. "Threatened to beat you up!"

Steve held up a calming hand, but Peter did not see and walked over to stand in front of where Steve sat on a small ledge next to the parachutes.

"He's going to take away my lab privileges, probably the suit, and, he'll tell Aunt May!"

Steve looked up at the boy for a second.

"Okay, so you might get in a bit of trouble. But you know that you're doing the right thing, don't you?" He asked.

"Well, yeah! If I were kidnapped Mr. Stark would come and get me! He would do way worse than access a government server to track me down!"

"Well, that's not really something we should try and justify, that's more something we should just apologise for and not do again." Steve countered.

Peter looked down at him for a moment before just flopping down on the seat next to him, his leg bouncing slightly.

"You know, Captain, I really thought Mr. Stark wouldn't be upset. I thought he would be proud of me! That's why I came along in the first place!" He explained, his eyes looking up at Steve's face.

Steve looked down at the boy next to him, allowing a frown to form on his face, but now understanding the boys previous actions a little more. He felt his mis-giving's fade away.

"Tony is incredibly proud of you, Peter. You don't need to earn that."

Peter's head fell back against the parachute bag behind him, and a sigh came out of his lips.

"I wish you and Mr. Stark could get along better." He said quietly.

Steve studied the boy for another second.

"He's a bit of a father figure to you, isn't he?"

Peter's eyes snapped open, his cheeks reddening. Steve held back a small chuckle at the response.

"It's okay, Peter." He laughed. "He's a good man and you're a great kid. Have you spoken to him about it?"

Peter shrugged slightly.

"Kind of. Last year we talked a bit about some dreams I was having, and he said that he cared about me. Just figured he'd know by now without me saying anything."

"Spoken to anyone else about it?"

Peter nodded, looking down slightly at his hands.

"Yeah. May and I spoke about it. She said it was okay to see him that way, she said that he might even see me as a son." He offered quietly.

"What do you think, Peter?"

"I don't know. I think he sees me as some kid he's become responsible for after, well, you know, the fight at the airport."

Steve looked away and ducked his head slightly at the reminder of the exact moment it had become obvious that he and Tony would never be able to fully repair their relationship.

"Sorry." Peter mumbled.

"It's okay, kid. Sometimes people clash, and maybe one day Tony and I can fix our friendship properly." He said, knowing that it was a lie, but desperately hoping for it to become true.

Peter nodded, looking at Steve before his eyes wondered to the quin jet screen.

"Looks like we're here. Should be landing in a moment." Peter said, standing up, Spider suit already on.

Steve looked up at the kid, and nodded, moving to stand by his side. He looked down at the kid again before placing his new shield on his back.

The Jet landed automatically in front of the remote Siberian bunker, blowing up a little snow as it came to rest silently about one hundred meters from the front door entrance. It opened to reveal Spider-Man and Captain America.

"Oof, that's a bit nippy!" Peter exclaimed. "Karen, activate heater."

Steve looked over at the kid, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You sure you're up for this?" He asked, giving the boy one final chance to back out.

"They've got my friend, Cap." Peter replied immediately, looking up at him through his suit.

Steve nodded, and together they walked out of the Quin Jet and into the snowy surrounding. The walked briskly to the large front entrance, a memory returning to Steve's mind of the last time he came to this very bunker. He pushed it aside, clenching his fist as they came to the door. They paused on either side.

"Sense anything?" He asked, looking over at Peter.

"That's not how it works" Peter whispered back.

Steve gave him an odd look.

"Okay, well, I'll go in first, you follow, we'll work our way through to the back where they're most likely keeping him. Remember, stay behind me!" He whispered the instructions, knowing very well Peter had understood him the first time he had explained the plan on the plane ride over.

"Sure thing, Cap."

Steve pushed open the door, swallowing down the horrifying feeling overcoming him, the memories of his fight with Tony alongside Bucky. He stepped tentatively through the door, but then forced himself to begin resolutely after that first step. Once a few steps inside, he turned back and waved for Peter to follow him.

It was dark in the bunker, darker than Steve remembered it being last time, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was all in his mind. He squinted, straining to see more than a few steps in front of him.

"Can you see, Kid?" He whispered, looking back and seeing Peter's eyes glowing just slightly in the dark.

"Yeah, I can see fine." He replied, obviously striving to sound casual.

"Did Stark put something in your suit?" Steve asked as he turned back, continuing their slow progress into the bunker.

"No, I can just see well in the dark." Peter replied.

The continued on in silence, there footsteps echoing off of the metal flooring they had found themselves on.

"Cap, there's a clearing straight ahead. Look like it might be a little lighter there.' Peter whispered.

"Got it." Steve replied, straining his eyes and just seeing a small patch of light ahead of him.

They continued forward, working their way toward it, slowly and cautiously.

Steve thought he heard something, and looked around, cautiously. Able to see slightly more, he saw Peter walking behind him, giving no indication that he had heard anything. He decided to continue on.

"Thought I heard something. Be alert." He whispered.

"Got it." Peter responded, equally quiet.

They walked in heavy silence, the tension in the air almost palpable. Finally, they came to the clearing.

"Something's here, Cap." Pete whispered once they reached the centre.

They both froze, looking around them. Nothing immediately came forward. Then, Steve felt Peter grapple at his arm slightly. He turned and saw the boy staring up at the gangways above them. He followed his gaze and saw, to his horror, the outlines of at least twenty well-muscled men and women staring down at them.

"Cap." Peter said again, drawing his attention to the hallway they had come down, now filled with more men and women. The hall way on the other side also filling with shadowy figures.

Suddenly, a voice filled the room, coming from an old P.A system far above their heads.

"Captain Rogers and, uh, Spiderling!" Came the thick Russian voice.

"Spider-Man" Peter mumbled to himself

"It seems that you have in your possession, one of my soldiers, jeopardizing the mission I have sent her on. Let her go, and I will return your little friend to you."

Steve hesitated, usually he would say an immediate no, knowing full well that the safety of the nation was at stake. But he looked at Peter, just a kid who wanted his friend back, and he felt his heart tug a little. Before he could say a word, Peter spoke up.

"Mr. Bodiless voice, sir! We're taking our friend back regardless!" He shouted.

Steve felt his eyes go wide with the boy's reckless declaration. He gripped his arm on Peters shoulder and spun him around to face him.

"Peter. Don't be reckless." He chastised him.

"Well," The voice concluded, "If you insist on a fight, I shall give you one."

"Oh, shit." Peter mumbled.

"Don't swear either." Steve added in absentmindedly, before adding, "Also, don't tell Tony about this, or the don't swear thing."

Steve saw the suit eyes change to give him a weird look before they turned to face outwards toward the soldiers who had slowly begun to walk towards them.

"You will find, gentlemen, that these are no usual soldiers. They have all been enhanced. Each of the equal in strength to even the great captain America!' The voice taunted, "But, you will find that lack the restraint that you seem to possess, Mr. Rogers."

"We'll find out." Steve said, more to himself than anyone else as the soldiers came forward, he pulled the shield off of his back and placed it on his arm, bending his legs, ready for the fight.

"Karen say's there are fifty of them. She said we should find a way to retreat!" Peter exclaimed quietly to Steve, his fear trickling through in the pitch of his voice.

"Good plan. I don't want Tony to kill me. Let's just focus on getting out and then we can re-plan how to get Ned." Steve replied hastily.

He made eye contact with one soldier, the man charged forward, roaring as he did, the others behind him following suit. Steve ran forward to meet him, engaging him straight away. Meanwhile, Peter shot his webbing up to the gangway, and flew up to face the soldiers up there. He fought them fairly easily, not holding back anything and allowing his superior strength and agility to carry him through. He threw punches, knocking some down instantly, shot up to the roof and swung across, kicking some off of the gangway, hoping to have all of them on the ground so he and Steve could see all of their foes. He felt that he was going a fine job.

Steve glanced up occasionally and saw that Peter was holding his own against the soldiers, he had to admit that he was impressed by the kid's super strength and fighting skills. He, on the other hand, was surrounded by at least twenty men and women, all of whom were his equal in strength and ability, but all of whom lacked his restraint. Each of them looked at him with murder in their eyes. If he was honest, he was well out of his depth.

"Hey, Kid!" He yelled, hoping the mic on his ear piece would pick up his voice over the commotion of the fight. "I could use a little help!" He blocked a particularly hard punch and felt something in his wrist snap, sending shooting pain down his arm.

Looking up, he saw that despite Peter's earlier success, one of the larger soldiers had tackled him mid-air and was now punching him mercilessly in the face. He felt a sense of panic rise in him, distracting him from the fight momentarily.

Suddenly, he was on his back, the coldness of the metal flooring creeping through his suit. Twenty soldiers pinned him down. He struggled valiantly against them.

"Kid!" He screamed. He saw the larger man being thrown over the edge, and a small flash of red as Peter seemed to jump back up, swaying a little, the eyes on his suit growing large as he saw Steve being pinned down, his shield being ripped from his arm.

Steve grunted as they beat him ruthlessly. He saw Peter swing down before he felt a sharp sting on his neck, and the whole went instantly black.

"Captain!" Peter screamed, swinging down, he had seen one of the soldiers inject him with something, and now, they stood around him, beating the unconscious man.

"Stop!" He screamed, "He's down! Just stop!"

"Peter, I advise retrieving Captain Rogers and making a quick get away." Karen sai

"Yeah, on it."

He shot back up the gang way and, once there, swung back down, scooping up Cap's unconscious body from the violent mass. They screamed at him, clawing after him and he threw the larger man across his back and landed at the hall they had entered through. He didn't turn back. He could hear them chasing him.

"Karen. Contact Friday, tell her to have the Quin Jet ready to take off as soon as we're inside." He ordered as he sprinted as fast as he could down the hallway toward the entrance.

"Sure thing, Peter." Karen replied.

Peter knew he was quicker than them, even with Caps weight, but he didn't dare slow down, even for a second. He came to the door, still open from when they had entered.

"Stupid soldiers. You would think they would have locked us in!" Peter exclaimed.

Sprinting outside into the snow, he made straight for the Quin Jet. The doors were open, waiting for him. He all but threw the Cap inside before jumping in himself.

"Go, go, go!" He screamed.

The Quin Jet began to lift before the doors were fully closed. Peter could see the soldiers running after them.

"Go, Friday! Hurry!" He screamed in the direction of the control panel.

Finally, after what felt like minutes, but was really under fifteen seconds, they reached a short altitude, and the Quin Jet burst off, reaching its flying altitude quickly.

"Where to, Peter?" Friday asked.

'Stark Tower. Hurry, please. I think Cap might not make it." He said, a slight tremor in his voice.


	7. Chapter 7

Ned sat in his small, cold cell. He was fairly certain that he had every form of cold-related sickness. His head felt clogged and heavy, and he was sure he was running a high fever. He sat up a little straighter though when he heard foot steps coming down the hall towards him, he listened carefully dread filling him as he heard the thick accents of his captors.

"Kid could you useful. Good with computers." One voiced came, slightly muffled by the thick door that separated them.

Ned strained his ears, listening as intently as he could, his heart pounding as they referred to him.

"We cannot trust him. He is connected to those two avengers who paid us a visit." Another voice replied.

Ned's head whipped up. They were looking for him. They had been here!

"He can be persuaded." The first voice countered. "Have our agents in America find out as much about him as they can, compile a file against our friend here."

Ned breathed heavily, heart still pounding as the footsteps walked past his door. He sat, frozen on the spot, trying to figure out how he would avoid working for his captors.

The Quin jet shot across the skies towards New York, but despite it's great speed, it would still take several hours. Those were hours Peter feared Cap did not have, the man was actually grey and sweating profusely, groaning loudly in his unconscious state.

Peter breathed heavily, not sure who to call. He couldn't call Mr. Stark, and he knew that Dr. Banner was currently unavailable, out of phone range in remote India. Finally, a name popped into his head. Helen Cho. He had only met her once or twice before, but he remembered that even Mr. Stark was impressed by her intellect and medical abilities.

"Friday, call Helen Cho." He commanded, still looking at the control panel as he did so.

"Peter, I would recommend calling Mr. Stark." Friday offered instead.

"Friday. Call Helen Cho." He ordered again, looking down at the large man whimpering in pain on the quin jet floor.

The call began to ring, Peter could see the image of him sitting next to the unconscious captain in the small screen in the corner.

It rung twice more, each time sending a spike of anxiety into Peter's heart.

"Come on." He whispered anxiously.

Finally, Dr Cho's face popped up onto screen, not looking at who appeared on the other end, obviously distracted by something else on the other side of the phone.

"Tony, if you're calling to see if you can play match maker again with any more of my employees, I will block your number. I don't need any more messy break ups on my hands." She said seriously.

Peter remained silent, not sure how to respond to her. The lack of response got her attention, and she looked down at the screen, her eyes widening when she saw Peter crouched near the obviously sick Steve.

"Peter! Sorry. Tony's name came up as the contact. What's happened?" She asked quickly.

"I, uh. Um, they stabbed him with a needle." He offered.

"Do you know what was in the needle, Peter?" She pressed.

He shook his head.

"Please, Dr Cho. I'm going to Stark tower now. Can you meet us there?" He begged. "I-I'm not sure if he'll make it."

Dr Cho nodded.

"I'm on my way right now. But Peter, listen carefully. If he's been out as long as I think he has, you need to roll him on his side and make sure his airways are clear. Can you do it now so I am sure it's done?"

Peter gave her a small nod, then turned the captain on his side, he lowered his ear to the man's mouth and heard a clear breath.

"Now what?" He asked fretfully.

"Do you know how to do CPR?" Dr Cho asked, the screen showing her walking out of her building and into her car.

"Uh-yeah. I learnt it at school."

"Great. If he stops breathing, perform CPR. Call me again if that happens. How far out form the tower are you?"

"Um – Fri?"

'One hour and seventeen minutes." Friday responded.

"Okay, I'll see you then Peter." Dr Cho said, ending the call as she started her engine.

Peter spent the remainder of the flight seated on the floor next to cap, listening carefully to the man's breathing. The seconds struggling to pass by as he stared at the dying man on the floor next to him.

Finally, after an eternity, the plane landed gently at Stark tower, and was pulled into the hanger. The doors slowly opened, revealing a medical teaming rushing forward to meet them, led by Dr Cho herself.

Peter watched on as the team rolled cap onto a back brace and strapped a neck brace around him, before slipping him onto the stretcher and rushing out of the room. He followed behind, awkwardly, unsure as to how he could help. Dr Cho seemed to sense him there. She turned and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay Peter? You look a little bruised up yourself." She asked softly, taking in his bruised right cheek and black eye.

"Oh, no. I'm fine. I'll just sleep this off." He responded quickly, already feeling a heavy weariness fall on him.

"Do you need something to help you sleep?" She asked, "That's a pretty traumatic thing you went through. I'll understand if you do."

Peter shook his head.

"I'm okay. Really."

She nodded, then turned and hurried out of the room.

Helen looked down at the sick man in the bed, if her memory was correct, last time Steve had lain in this bed, his feet had nearly hung off the end. She observed now that his feet were a good inch and a half from the end of the bed, she also saw that his muscles were significantly smaller than her memory of them.

Pulling out a syringe of her own, she drew a blood sample and immediately walked over to the bio lab that Stark had built for Dr Banner many years ago. A small theory was coming to mind, it was beyond ridiculous, but she was not a stupid woman, many far more ridiculous things had happened in the world!

She waved one of her personal interns over.

"Get me Steve Rogers' file, I want a hard copy. Both pre and post serum. Also, can you please sure his height and the diameter of his biceps and report back to me asap." She directed, the intern gave her an odd look, but hurried off to do her bidding.

She walked over to the bench that she usually worked at when she was here, a top of the line microscope and computer, both switched on and waiting for her.

"Friday, find a blood sample of Steve Rogers pre-serum." She said to the A.I as she placed a small sample of the blood on a small petri dish and sliding it under the micro scope. She looked at it curiously.

"Images on the screen, Dr Cho." Friday informed her,

Dr Cho looked up at the screen. The blood work was consistent with the era he had grown up in, though, it showed signs of high blood pressure. She would know more when she saw his file.

"Friday, an image of post serum blood. Place both images next to each other."

The image popped onto the screen. Perfectly healthy.

"Take an image of the current blood work and place it next to the post-serum image." She muttered, a little afraid that her theory was in-fact correct. The image popped up, she frowned further.

"I've got the files here.' The intern said, starling her a little.

She turned and grabbed them out of the young man's hands.

"You do the measurements?"

"Yes, ma'am. I wrote them down, they're in the patient file."

She nodded her thanks and read the notes. She couldn't believe it. It was medically impossible! Steve Rogers was returning to his pre-serum body and all of the horrible ailments that had accompanied him then, were soon to follow.


	8. Chapter 8

"Peter? We're here!" May called as her and MJ walked into the spacious apartment situated high in Stark Tower.

May looked around the room, noting Peter's jumper thrown over the couch back, she walked over and picked it up, folding it neatly. It was then she found Peter, fast asleep on the couch, looking so much younger than he really was. She felt her hear tug slightly at the sight of him. Beside her, she heard MJ snort and the sound of her phone camera go off. She looked over at the girl with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" MJ asked, face straight and almost wickedly serious.

May just shook her head, allowing a small chuckle to escape as she walked through to the spacious kitchen, dropping her purse on the island bench and then walking over the small kitchen table and placing her jacket over a chair. MJ followed her in, looking around, trying, and failing, to keep her straight face as she took in the luxurious apartment.

"Should we wake him up?" MJ eventually asked, leaning against the island bench.

"No, normally after he's been injured he needs a bit of time to sleep it off. He said on the phone that Captain Rogers got it way worse than him."

MJ eyebrows raised a little.

"Peter is stronger than Captain America?"

"Yah." May scoffed, a little proud of her boy.

Trying to play it cool, she walked over to the fridge and opened it, pulling out some juice and placing it on the polished stone bench.

"You want some?"

MJ nodded.

May got the glasses out of the display cabinet and placed them on the counter, pouring the orange juice for herself and MJ.

"Let's go back to the living room, shall we. We can have some girl talk while I keep an eye on Peter." She suggested, feeling on edge about Peter's latest adventure, despite her pride at his heroics.

MJ simply nodded and grabbed her glass as they walked back into the living room. The lights were dimmed, most of the illumination coming from the floor length windows that allowed the lights of other buildings through. May couldn't help but notice the way that MJ looked at Peter on the couch as they walked back in. She felt herself smile a little at the way MJ's cheeks seemed to darken when her eyes flickered up to meet hers. May sat on the couch, next to Peter's head, gently running a hand through his hair. MJ sat next to her, still holding her juice in her hands, clearly a little uncomfortable to be in such a fancy apartment without the owners present.

"So," MJ said, breaking the gentle silence that had fallen over the room as May had been looking down at Peter, "Do you know what happened?"

May looked over at the girl and was a little surprised to see worry on her usually controlled face. She nodded, letting out a deep sigh as she ran her hand through his hair once again.

"Apparently, someone tried to interrupt Tony and Peppers wedding. Peter said they followed some leads back to Siberia where they were going to retrieve Ned and –"

"Wait. Ned's been taken?" MJ interrupted, leaning forward. "He's okay, right?"

May gave her a sad smile.

"I don't know, MJ."

She saw the girls mouth open slightly as she tried to comprehend that one of her friends had been captured and possibly hurt.

"But Peter and the Captain went to go and find him. But, the Captain was injured badly, so Peter just grabbed him and they came back. Peter said that Steve hadn't woken up since they left."

She let her words hang in the air, allowing MJ a moment to comprehend the news. To her credit, MJ seemed to think things through well, and after a moment, sat forward and announced;

"Peter will be able to get Ned back."

May had to smile a little at such optimism, despite her reluctance to allow Peter to face a group of super soldiers once again.

Beside her, Peter turned in his sleep, mumbling something under his breath. May turned to look down her precious boy, well, man really, and felt a twinge of worry come across her mind.

Pepper blinked slowly, awaking from the nap that she had unintentionally taken. The room, despite the swirling ceiling fan above the bed, was quite hot. She blinked sluggishly, trying to remember how she had gotten here.

She remembered sitting on the front porch, ice tea in one hand and a good book in the other, her feet up as she occasionally glanced up to see Tony playing with his drone on the beach. She had smiled a little when she thought of their trip to a nearby island market place, Tony had scoffed at such outdated technology. A drone that still relied on a remote control! However, she had seen his eyes wonder back to the stand a few times, clearly desperate to fiddle with something and stretch the creative muscles that he had put aside for the week. Finally, right before they had been about to leave, he had decided to purchase the small drone with the intent of fiddling with it once they arrived back in New York. That had not lasted long, as soon as she had settled down on the patio couch, Tony had taken off down the beach with the toy and had been playing happily with it for at least an hour. She remembered that she had ended up putting her book down altogether to watch and laugh at her husband's antics as he would occasionally bring the drone down from its flight and pull out his pocket knife to make some adjustment, before sending it back up, his face overly serious as he observed the cheap toy. She had been watching contentedly for another half an hour when the heat had finally gotten to her, and she had felt a wave of weariness, her eyes struggling to stay open. She had slowly made her way inside and collapsed on the bed, falling into a well-deserved afternoon siesta.

Now, as she lay in the bed, she felt Tony's body next to her, he was passed out on his stomach, his face turned towards her. She grinned a little as she opened her eyes to see that he was still well and truly asleep, obviously having followed her up after noticing she had left the front patio. She couldn't help but feel grateful for this week away from the business. Things had been so stressful recently, and while things had been going better than ever for the company, she had been busier than ever before. Even after Tony decided to retire the Iron Man and take a more hands on role as the business owner, the work never seemed to end. She frowned a little at the thought, her eyes still staying on Tony's sleeping face and, reaching over, she ran a hand through his hair, brushing his ear slightly as she did. She worried that Tony would hate this new direction in his life. She was aware of his financial goal for the next ten years, to make Stark Industries a trillion-dollar company, but the thought did not settle her mind. She remembered clearly how happy he had been to name her CEO those many years ago. She knew he had been dying at the time, but he had assured her after his recovery that he had no desire to take on that aspect of the company again, preferring to tinker in the lab without the board of directors breathing down his neck. Recently, however, he had been spending more and more time in her office, helping her with the paperwork and even taking calls from members of the board of directors.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her husband's small groan and movement. She returned her gaze to his face and saw him blinking slowly, his dark eyes looking at her for a moment, before closing again.

"How was your nap?" He mumbled sleepily into his pillow.

"Refreshing.' She whispered, her hand returning to his hair, stroking gently.

He let out a contented sigh, keeping his eyes closed for another minute or two before looking back over at her. He rolled onto his side, facing her and lifted his arm, signalling for her to come closer.

"It's too hot to cuddle, Tony." She whispered with a small chuckle.

He just groaned, his eyes closed again as he waited for her.

She let out a small giggle and shuffled over, their bodies touching as his arms closed around her. She buried her face in his neck, a little overly warm, but content.

"What kind of building doesn't have a super computer controlling the doors and air conditioning." He mumbled, sleep still heavy in his voice.

"A normal one." Pepper mumbled back, feeling sleepy again despite the heat.

She felt him chuckle a little, and nuzzled further into his neck, his arms tightening around her as she did so.

"Do we have to go home tomorrow?" He asked, a small, dramatic sigh in his voice.

"Mm-hmm. You'll miss Happy too much if we stay here." She teased.

She felt him laugh again. They fell into a comfortable silence, Pepper certain that Tony had fallen back asleep after a while. All she knew before sleep took her again, was how happy she was just to be with him.

"Captain Rogers. Can you hear me?"

Steve blinked his eyes slowly, the world around him being very slow to come back into the focus.

"Wha-" He sounded out before his throat decided for him that that was enough. He blinked again, the woman before him still quite blurry.

"He's conscious. Let Peter know." The female voice said to another blurry figure next to her. "Steve, do you know where you are?" The voice asked.

He squinted slightly, thinking. He recognised the voice as Helen Cho. He looked around the room. He could only make out the blurry outlines of objects around him, only the very closest things being in focus.

"Sta-" He began, before his voice gave out. He pointed at his throat. "Water!" He rasped.

He saw Helen's blurry outline disappear for a moment before she returned to his side, slightly more in focus now that she has closer.

She held the cup to his mouth, helping him sit up and drink. He gulped greedily at the water, his throat slowly coming back to life.

"Stark tower." He finally answered, slightly breathless and still raspy, leaning back on his hands to remain upright. He frowned, he felt weird.

He heard Helen sigh slightly.

"What's going on, Helen?" he asked.

"Steve. I'm going to be completely straight forward with you." She answered, but despite her confident tone, she seemed to hesitate before going on. "You and Peter were in a fight."

"Yes, Siberia." He quickly added, hoping she would get to the point.

"Yes. Unfortunately, you were knocked out and they injected you with some form of serum." She paused for a moment, and he felt her hand land gently on his arm, his gut tightening slightly, knowing bad news was coming. "Steve. They reversed the super soldier serum you took."

He looked at her slightly blurry face, not quite comprehending what she was saying.

"What?"

She sighed and left his side for a moment, she returned with a small, hand held mirror. She held it so that he could not see his reflection, but stretched it out so he could take it from her hand.

He took it, it felt oddly heavy, eliciting a severe frown from him. He turned it, and upon seeing his face in the reflection, felt his body take a large breath as he stared at the gaunt face in the reflection. He looked away from his face and looked at his arms, they were skinny, lacking the muscle he had grown accustomed to over the years. Further down, his feet were several inches away from the end of the bed.

"How?" He asked, his eyes still traveling over his own, much smaller frame.

"I don't know." Helen admitted.

She picked something up from the shelf besides her and held it out in her hand. Steve frowned at the pair of glasses she held in her hand.

"I looked at your medical records. You may not have had glasses back in the forties, but you sure needed them. I figured that you'd at least want to be able to see properly when you woke up." She explained.

He looked up at her, eyes wide, and then nodded slightly. Still struggling to comprehend the situation. He took them from her hand and placed them on his face. The room finally coming into focus as he did. He did not allow his gaze to wander, but stared resolutely at the end of the bed.

"Was Peter injured?" He asked, finally.

"Only a few bruises. They should heal before Tony gets back."

"Does Tony know about me, you know, this?" He asked, gesturing slightly to himself.

"No."

He looked up at her, a look of desperation coming over him.

"Can you fix this before he gets back?"

She looked at him, he could have sworn he saw a tear shining in her eye. She finally shook her head.

"I need help." She admitted. "Tony has all the notes for the super soldier serum that he confiscated from Hydra on his own private server. And even if I could access them, I would need his help, maybe even Bruce's help to be able to formulate something that is able to mirror the effects of the one you took last time."

"What do we do until then?" He asked.

She cleared her throat, her professional tone returning once again.

"I would recommend that you get some rest. Your body has taken quite the beating and you aren't healing as quickly as you usually would. Try and sleep as much as you can before Tony gets back." She paused again, "I think you'll need to save up as much energy as you can before he attempts to tear you to shreds for taking Peter on your mission."

Steve just groaned and fell back into the hospital bed, dread filling his stomach at the thought of Tony's return.


	9. Chapter 9

Peter sat in his room at Stark tower, leaning back against the head board of his bed with his knees to his chest. He had come straight there after waking on the couch and finding May and MJ mid conversations. He had hurriedly assured them he was okay, before basically begging them to leave. After he had finally pushed them into the lift, he had all but run to his room, closing the door securely behind him. All that lit his room were the two floor length windows each side of his bed, allowing a little of the New York sky light in. He leaned forward and curled himself around his knees, guilt chewing away at. After a moment, a sob escaped him and a tear began its descent down his cheek.

He had been so sure that they would succeed, so certain that Ned would be here with him right now and that Mr. Stark would forget about any grudge with Cap and apologise for yelling at them both. But as he sat, hunched forward in his room, he knew now that there had never even been a chance for that to happen, and it was all on him. He had told the Captain before they even left that he was willing to take responsibility for any failure they had, and now, the responsibility for Caps broken body and Ned's continued capture was dropping on him like a tonne of bricks. He lifted his head a little, tears and snot on his face.

"Hey, Fri." He said with a slight whimper in his voice.

"Yes, Peter."

"How's Cap?"

"Dr Cho has asked me to report to you the extent of his condition only if you feel ready." Friday responded.

Peter hesitated, if Friday hadn't told him straight away, it couldn't be good.

"Please, tell me Friday." He finally asked quietly.

"Captain Rogers has been transformed into his Pre-Serum self. He has also sustained a broken wrist and has severe bruising over his chest."

"Wait, what! He's reverted to his Pre-Serum self?" Peter exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, Peter." Friday responded.

Peter looked wildly around the room, searching for nothing in particular. His breathing was quickening, and he was beginning to hyperventilate. He knew it, he was responsible. He had asked for responsibility, now he wasn't sure he could bear it.

"Peter. Slow your breathing." Friday ordered gently, her voice almost soothing.

Peter looked up at the ceiling and nodded, purposefully loosening his body, stretching his legs out and gripping the edge of the blanket. He closed his eyes and breathed.

"Peter, I do not wish to alarm you. But Mr. Stark and Mrs Potts-Stark are pulling into the garage."

Peters head shot up.

"What! They're here? Why?"

"They were scheduled to arrive home today, Peter. Did you forget?"

"No, no, no, no. This is bad. This is very bad. Where's cap? We've got to hide him." He said quickly.

"Captain rogers is in the medical bay lounge area. I would advise against hiding him from Mr. Stark if you wish to avoid any punishment." Friday informed him.

"Why are they even home!" Peter exclaimed, jumping off of the bed.

"It's been a week, Peter. They were scheduled to arrive home today."

Peter began to pace frantically. He knew Friday was right, there was no point in hiding this from Mr. Stark.

"How has it been a week!" He nearly yelled.

"Well, you were at the wedding, and then you had the interrogation. Then you waited a few days before you flew to Siberia, and now you're here."

Peter groaned and fell back onto the bed. His covered his face with his hands. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he allowed his tears to come freely.

Tony pulled the Porsche into one of his parking spots and killed the engine, the gentle purring of the engine ceasing around them. He looked over at Pepper as he undid his seatbelt, a cheeky grin on his face.

"Home sweet home!" He quipped.

She grinned back at him as she undid her own belt and elegantly opened the door, lifting herself from her seat like royalty. Tony had to be honest with himself, he had missed home in the very short week they had been away, and he was itching to get into the lab, having thought of hundreds of ideas while he was sitting on the beach. The trunk of the car opened automatically, revealing the two large suitcases. Pepper was already lifting one out of the car and placing it on the ground beside her.

"You know, Pep." He began, speaking quickly with excitement, "I had a few ideas about that little drone I bought. I was thinking of modifying it to see if I could get it to run off of Friday's software and respond only to voice commands. What do you think?"

He reached out the case and lifted the extendable handle as Pepper placed the second case on the ground. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Is that all you've been thinking about on the drive home?" She asked, a small sigh in her voice.

"Basically." He replied, turning to walk towards the lift, missing Peppers dramatic eye roll.

"Tony, don't forget the trunk!" She called, following after him.

"Oh, right." He mumbled, then pressed a button on the keys to shut it. "So, what do you think?" He asked, eager for her response.

She looked at him for a second as they arrived before the lift, he turned to face her.

"I think you don't know how to turn your brain off and relax."

"I can relax!" He retorted quickly, amusement in his eyes.

She laughed slightly.

"Tony, you brought a drone on the last day because you just couldn't go without tinkering for a whole week!"

"I wasn't tinkering, I was adjusting!" He said defensively. "And you didn't seem to mind. You had your book."

"I swear I can only take you away for a day at a time. You get all this pent-up energy! It's dangerous!"

He noticed he had been bouncing on his feet slightly and purposefully ceased, not wanting to further her argument.

"Whatever." He mumbled. "Where is this lift?"

Pepper rolled her eyes again and reached out the press the button, looking pointedly at Tony as she did so.

"Pssh. Who needs buttons. I'll have to upgrade Friday so I don't need to press things."

The doors opened and Tony took Peppers bag from her hands, pushing both cases in.

"So, did you enjoy the week away?" He asked, glancing back at her as she followed him in.

"I did. I found it very relaxing." The doors closed behind her.

"Friday, living quarters." Tony said, his eyes on Pepper as she fiddled with her purse.

The lift began to rise and Tony quickly pulled Pepper in for one last moment together.

"I'm glad you had a relaxing time." He murmured, his face close to hers. "You deserved it."

She grinned up at him, her arms going around him. He closed the small gap, giving her a tender kiss.

"Thank you, Tony." She whispered, eyes shining.

The doors opened and the two stepped apart. They took a case each and stepped into the living area.

"Peter!" Tony called, looking forward to seeing the kid.

He frowned a little, the apartment was dark. Peter's jumper was folded neatly at the end of the couch, but other than that, there was no sign of the boy. It was far too early for him to be in bed, and he doubted that he was on patrol.

He turned and once again took Peppers case, rolling them to the edge of the couch.

"Kid, we're home!" He called again.

Pepper walked past him into the kitchen. He followed behind her as she took a seat at the small dining table, and began to take off her shoes.

"Maybe he went out?" She suggested.

He felt a little panic rise in his chest.

"Friday, where is Peter?"

"Peter is in his room." She responded.

He looked at Pepper.

"Did he hear us arrive?" He asked, his brow creasing.

"Yes."

"Then why didn't he respond?" He pressed.

"It would appear that Peter is crying."

Tony felt his eyes widen.

"Go." Pepper said quietly, nudging her head in the direction of the hallway across the living room that led to their bedrooms.

"Thank you." He mouthed back and walked quickly out of the room.

He arrived at Peter's door, knocking lightly.

"Pete, you in there?" He asked gently.

He put his ear to the door, he couldn't hear anything. The panic rose further in his chest. He turned the handle, pushing the door open slowly.

"Pete?" he asked, pushing his head in.

He looked into the darkened room, he listened for a second, and then heard the sound of a quiet sob from the side of the bed. His heart broke as he finally found Peter, knees to his chest, sitting on the floor with tears streaming down his face.

"Pete. What's wrong?" He asked, rushing to the boy's side and crouching next to him.

Peter didn't respond, just lifted his head a little and stared at the wall across from him.

He lifted a gentle hand and placed it on his shoulder. It did not have the desired effect, as Peter seemed to gasp for a second, and then dropped his head, his face contorting as a loud sob escaped him and his tears began again.

Tony felt out of his depth. Unsure of what else to do, he adjusted himself to sit on the floor next to the kid, his legs stretched out as he leaned back against the bed. He tentatively put an arm around is shoulders, rubbing his hand slightly on Peters arm.

This time Peter fell into his side. His arms coming around his middle, hugging him tightly.

"Okay." He muttered to himself, slightly taken aback by this, but lowered his own arms to hold Peter in return. He couldn't help but remember the last time they had hugged, after the dangerous mission to find the missing boy. He frowned at the memory.

Peter sobbed into his chest for a minute before he began to mumble something.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I messed up." He said quickly, his voice muffled by Tony's shirt.

Tony looked down at the boy, slightly confused.

"Peter. I don't care that you went on a mission with Steve, I just care that your safe." He said, certain that this would calm the teen. Again, it had the opposite effect. The boy let out something like a groan as heavy tears began to fall.

Tony had no idea what to do or how to get Peter to talk. So, he lifted his hand to gently stroke the boys hair, whispering calm assurances to him.

"It's okay Pete. I'm here. It's okay." He soothed over and over again.

Peter's crying seemed to calm a little after another few minutes. Taking shaky breaths, still gripping to him tightly.

Tony decided to wait until the boy had calmed down a little more before trying once again to figure out what had happened. After a moment, he dropped his hand from the boy's head and let his arm hang over Peter's shoulder.

"Pete. Can you tell me what's happened?" He asked gently.

Peter sniffed, and lifted his hand to swipe at his face.

"I'm so sorry." He muttered, moving his head to lean into Tony, but still not looking at him.

"Sorry for what, Pete?"

"Cap." Peter muttered, his voice barely understandable.

"I told you, Pete. I'm not-"

"No. It's my fault." Peter interrupted, his voice shaking and tears threatening to begin again. "He hurt and it's all my fault."

Tony felt his mouth open slightly.

"Steve's injured?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's all my fault." Peter rambled, his face turning again to Tony's shirt. "I should've saved him."

Tony stared down at the boy, fearing the worst.

"Peter. Where's Steve?"

Peter finally looked up at him, and Tony bit back a gasp, seeing the ugly, but fading bruises on the boy's face. His arm instinctively tightened around his shoulder.

"What the hell, kid." He mumbled.

"He's in the med bay. Dr Cho is with him." Peter offered shakily.

Tony nodded, he needed to check on his friend. But he couldn't leave Peter here alone.

"Pepper!" He called. He heard her footsteps across the marble floor, hurrying toward the room.

Peter clung to him harder, burying his face further into Tony.

Pepper's face appeared in the doorway, his eyes going wide at the sight of them on the floor. But wisely, she said nothing.

He gestured for her to come over, she understood and came to crouch next to them, her hand soothing over Peter's head, eyes worried.

"Can you take Pete? I'm gonna check on Steve."

She nodded, and Tony began to untangle himself from Peter, he looked up with scared eyes as he began to stand to leave. He seemed to panic slightly.

"It's okay, it's okay, Pete." He said, settling back down when the kid looked like he was about to have a panic attack. He looked over at Pepper for a moment.

"Look. Why don't you go to our room and lie down in there for a while? You won't be alone; Pepper will stay with you." He offered.

Peter said nothing, clinging to Tony. Tony sighed and began to get up again, reaching down to lift the kid with him. Once they stood, Peter still clung to him. So, Tony bent slightly and picked him up bridal style and walked towards the room he and Pepper shared. Pepper went ahead and opened the door, walking into the room and adjusting the pillows on the bed so that Peter would be comfortable in the California king bed. He placed Peter down and moved to leave, Pepper stepped in quickly, soothing the boy before he could panic. Tony left, knowing that if he lingered, Peter would call for him.

He walked with purpose toward the lift, the sound of Peter's sobs still fresh in his mind. He walked in.

"Med bay." He snapped.

The lift rose toward the area of the tower just off of the hanger.

"Where's Steve?"

"Captain Rogers is in the Med bay lounge. He is alone." Friday informed him.

Tony glared at the doors in front of him, not sure if he should kill Steve for allowing Peter to be injured, or see if Steve's injuries where bad enough to do the job for him.

The lift stopped and the doors opened. He stormed out towards the lounge area.

"Rogers!" He screamed, seeing the lounge area ahead of him, but not able to see anyone inside through the glass doors. "Where the fuck are you?"

He stormed through the doors, not taking in anything in the room.

"If your injuries aren't going to kill you then you can be assured that I fucking wi-" He cut himself off, eye coming to rest on a small man on the couch. He stared, eyes widening. "Steve?"

The man nodded, and leaned forward.

Tony looked at the shrunken Steve Rogers before him and felt his heart stop for a moment. Guilt began to build in him. Turning, he picked up a heavy metal trinket from a nearby bench, and, desperate to ground himself, threw it as hard as he could at the glass wall. It shattered, causing Steve to wince slightly.

Still feeling out of control, Tony threw up his hands and let the come to rest behind his head. He stared at his friend, breathing hard. Then, dropping his hands, he shook his head and stormed out of the room.

Six months. That's how long things had taken to fall apart. Six short months since he'd closed the vault containing his suits for the last time to re-focus on the company. Now he sat in the lab, sleeves rolled up as he sat at the workbench closest to his computer, mindlessly tinkering away at the small drone he'd purchased on his honeymoon, guilt coursing through him as he thought of Steve's small, hunched frame and Peter's tearful face. He grunted to himself slightly.

"Tony?"

Upon hearing the deep voice, Tony looked up automatically, then redirected his gaze a few inches lower to where Steve's face now was. He couldn't bear to look at his gaunt figure, and quickly lowered his eyes back to the drone he had now opened, pulling out a small circuit board from the inside.

"What's up Steve?" He asked as gently as he could force himself to, not able to harbour any resentment toward the many in his current state, but unable to fully hide his own self-hatred from his tone. He shoved the screw driver he was working with into his mouth and held the small board up under the work lamp on the bench, examining it carefully.

Steve watched him for a second, trying to gauge his mood before continuing.

"What are you working on?" He eventually asked, his curious eyes watching as Tony put the circuit board on the glass bench and tapped next to it slightly, bringing up a transparent screen on the table that he began to type notes into.

Tony glanced up at the smaller man for a moment, giving him an odd look, before going back to his notes and picking up the small drone once again. He pulled the screw driver out of his mouth and continued to undo some more screws.

"I'm programing it to run on voice command and Stark pads rather than being reliant on the remote control." He answered with a slightly harder tone than he intended.

Steve came closer, leaning his scrawny frame at the end of the table, adjusting his glasses to better see the drone.

"Why?" Steve asked innocently.

Tony dropped the drone suddenly and slightly threw the screw driver across the table, slightly startling Steve.

"Because I'm bored, Steve." He stated, eyes fixing on Steve once more. "Why are you down here?" He finally asked.

Steve looked at him for a moment, before looking down at the discarded drone. Tony simply crossed his arms, waiting for Steve to respond.

"I wanted to apologise for the wedding." Steve said, finally lifting his eyes to meet Tony's.

"Steve, I don't care about the wedding." Tony replied, standing firm, eyes narrowing slightly.

"No, but you care that Peter got hurt."

"Your damn right I care that Peter got hurt." He affirmed, his tone rough.

Steve nodded at him, and looked back at the drone.

"I'm sorry. I just worried she would ruin your day, and I was hoping by having Peter with me she would just leave peacefully." He looked back at Tony, earnestly. "I'm sorry that I ruined it instead."

Tony couldn't help the small flood of guilt he felt as he watched the now shrunken man speak. He uncrossed him arms and let out a breath, leaning forward onto the bench.

"You didn't ruin the day, Steve. You were just trying to help." He finally offered, slowly picking up the drone again.

He felt Steve's eyes on him and he picked away at the drone, he hated that feeling. One thing Steve had always been good at was reading him. He could have the brightest smile plastered on his face and Steve would know instantly if it was real or not. And right now, he knew that Steve was basically reading his mind. He tried to ignore him by pulling apart the drone. He picked up a small torch and placed it between his teeth as he lifted the half pulled apart thing to look inside.

"None of this is your fault, Tony." Steve finally offered, breaking the small amount of tension that had built while Tony had waited for him to speak.

Tony looked down at him for a moment, before looking back at the drone.

"Oh, yeah? How do you come to that conclusion?" He asked, words muffled by the torch in his mouth. He picked up some tweezers and pulled at a random wire, looking at the board beneath it.

"I could have chosen to leave it. Instead I pulled Peter into a fight that you didn't want him in, and I got myself injured."

Tony scoffed slightly.

"Well, yeah. Injured is one way to put it." He said quietly.

Steve just watched his friend for a second. Sightly nervous about the lack of outburst so far. But he decided that this restrained, if not mildly distracted Tony was easier to deal with than an irrational genius screaming at him. He decided the best play was to simply wait until Tony spoke.

"You know why I retired the Iron Man suits?" Tony finally asked, the torch still in his mouth and eyes straining slightly to see the circuit board behind a hard to reach wire.

Steve shrugged with his hands slightly.

"Because Pepper was right." He explained, then pulled the torch out of his mouth and placed it back on the bench, his gaze going to the holographic note pad. 'They were a distraction."

Steve frowned a little.

"Tony, don't sell yourself short, you-"

"Steve, I'm trying really hard to be honest with you and if you interrupt me I'll throw a spanner at your head." Tony said quickly, his eyes now firmly on the small man.

Steve forced a smile.

"Sorry." He offered.

Tony allowed his gaze to wander back to his notes. He typed absentmindedly.

"Nearly thirteen years ago I was held captive in a cave for three months, and the suit." He began, "The suit is the only reason I survived."

He looked back at the bench and picked up the drone again, making mental notes before reaching for a sharpie with his other hand and marking out spots on the outside of the drone.

"I got back and nothing was the same. I hid in the basement and tinkered because I didn't want to face the world. Sure, I saved the damn planet a few times, but, I also nearly destroyed it."

He glanced down at Steve quickly, before reverting his gaze to the drone.

"I didn't even realise I was literally hiding in the basement or behind the suit until I couldn't go anywhere unless I had some part of the suit with me. A few weeks before I retired the suit I had a full on mental breakdown because the nano housing unit broke and my suit malfunctioned. I wasn't even on a mission. I was just sitting in the lounge room with Pepper."

He put the drone down finally, and looked Steve in the eye.

"I've been using the suits to avoid my problems. Just like I've been using this useless drone to avoid this situation." He admitted. "I didn't want to be like my Dad, so we didn't have kids. I didn't want to take responsibility for my negligence, so I threw the company on Pepper. I didn't want to face my past, so I hid in the basement. But Steve, I can't keep doing it. I have a company that's been left to me from my father, I have purpose in my work for the company again. I have goals that I want to meet. Hell, Pepper wants to have babies before it's too late for us, I have to think about my future family and leaving the company in the best shape I can for them if they take it over. And I want to be present when they're born, I don't want to be halfway around the world fighting some space monster, not knowing if I'll make it back in time to read them a bed-time story."

Steve's eyes were wide as Tony shared his heart. He seldom heard the man share so vulnerably.

Tony absentmindedly picked up the drone again, not playing with it, just looking at it.

"Steve, I have a kid upstairs bawling his eyes out because I didn't help him. And you have reverted back into a sick man from another century because I refused to do anything to aid you." He let out a breath. "You can see the conundrum I'm in?" He looked over at Steve, expectantly.

He frowned when he was met by silence.

"I'm done now. You can talk." He said quickly.

"Sorry. I just wanted to avoid a spanner being lodged into my skull." Steve joked gently.

Tony felt himself chuckle a little.

"I had no idea." Steve admitted. "I mean, when I first came out of the ice, I did think it was weird that a man was flying around in metal suit."

He looked up at Tony, who was now just turning the drone in his hands, staring into the space just past it.

"Tony. You know that I respect your decision to retire the Iron Man. I'm in glad you're taking interest in the company again. And Peter? Well, whether or not he'll ever admit it to you, you already are a father to him."

Tony glanced sharply at Steve when he said this, his jaw tightening slightly, just then turned his gaze back onto the drone.

"Look. I'll be honest. It would be great if you could help out in the suits, especially since Ned is still there. But I understand if you choose not to. I'll respect whatever choice you make."

Tony relaxed his jaw slightly, and nodded.

"Thanks, Steve." He finally let out. "I'll uh, put in some calls and have Ned retrieved by some of the Shield guys. They can work around the enhanced soldiers. That way Peter wont' feel like he has to face them again."


End file.
